Portable basketball shooting practice device

ABSTRACT

A portable basketball shooting practice device includes an upper and a lower cover pivotally connected and openably closed to each other; a backboard connected to an inner side of the upper cover, and provided at a central position with a pivotal connecting unit, to which a rim is pivotally turnably connected; a folding support skeleton consisting of a plurality of sections serially connected via link plates, and having an innermost section fixedly connected to an inner side of the lower cover; and a net apron spread on and fixed to a top of the support skeleton with two upward extended lateral sides connected to two lateral edges of the backboard. With the foldable support skeleton and pivotally turnable rim, the whole basketball shooting practice device can be easily folded and received in the closed upper and lower covers, and be conveniently carried for use at different places.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a basketball shooting practice device, and more particularly to a portable basketball shooting practice device that could be conveniently folded and carried for use at different places.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Basketball is one of the most popular sports in the world, and there is a large population of basketball lovers including men and women of all ages. Basketball is usually played on a large basketball court having basketball stands with a backboard and a rim each. Due to the large dimensions, most basketball courts are constructed in campuses, parks, or at riverbanks. People who want to play basketball must always go to such places, and might very possibly find the basketball courts have already been occupied by other people.

There has been developed a basketball shooting practice device suitable for positioning indoors for people to practice shooting. This conventional basketball shooting practice device mainly includes a base and a backboard with a rim. A net apron is provided around a space above the base to prevent a basketball from bouncing out of the net apron. The net apron has an opening, and the backboard is fixed to the net apron opposite to the opening. A user may stand in front of the opening to practice shooting a basketball into the rim on the backboard. This conventional basketball shooting practice device is very expensive and not affordable by general consumers. Moreover, the basketball shooting practice device is very heavy and has a big volume to occupy a lot of space, and is therefore not portable or practical for use.

There is also developed a portable basketball shooting practice device, which includes a backboard, a rim, and a basketball stand that may be disassembled and received in a portable case without occupying too much space to allow easy carry of the whole device to different places for use. Nevertheless, it is troublesome to assemble and disassemble the device each time before and after using the device. And, the parts of the conventional portable basketball shooting practice device tend to get lost during assembling and disassembling thereof, resulting in a useless device.

It is therefore tried by the inventor to develop a portable basketball shooting practice device that has simple structure to enable easy and convenient use and movement thereof.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A primary object of the present invention is to provide a portable basketball shooting practice device that could be conveniently folded and carried for use at different places.

To achieve the above and other objects, the portable basketball shooting practice device according to the present invention includes an upper cover and a lower cover pivotally connected at a rear side, and openably closed by a closing member provided at a joint of the two covers; a backboard connected to an inner side of the upper cover, and being provided at a central position with a pivotal connecting unit, to which a rim is pivotally turnably connected; a support skeleton consisting of a plurality of sections serially connected via link plates to enable folding and unfolding of the support skeleton at the link plates, and having an innermost section fixedly connected to an inner side of the lower cover; and a net apron spread on and fixed to a top of the support skeleton with two upward extended lateral sides connected to two lateral edges of the backboard.

With the foldable support skeleton and the pivotally connected rim, the whole basketball shooting practice device can be easily folded and received in the closed upper and lower covers, and be conveniently carried for use at different places.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The structure and the technical means adopted by the present invention to achieve the above and other objects can be best understood by referring to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments and the accompanying drawings, wherein

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a portable basketball shooting practice device according to the present invention in a fully folded state and received in tightly closed upper and lower covers;

FIG. 2 shows the portable basketball shooting practice device of FIG. 1 in a folded state with the upper cover partially opened from the lower covers;

FIG. 3 a is a perspective view of the portable basketball shooting practice device of the present invention in a fully extended state for use;

FIGS. 3 b and 3 c show the manner of folding up a support skeleton of the device for receiving in the upper and lower covers; and

FIGS. 4 through 7 show the connection of a backboard to an inner side of the upper cover of the portable basketball shooting practice device of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Please refer to FIGS. 1 and 2 that are perspective views showing a portable basketball shooting practice device 10 according to the present invention in a folded state with an upper cover 11 and a lower cover 12 of the device in a closed and a partially opened position, respectively.

As shown, the portable basketball shooting practice device 10 includes an upper cover 11 and a lower cover 12 pivotally turnably connected to each other at a rear side thereof. A closing member 15, such as a zipper or other types of fastener, is provided at a joint of the upper cover 11 and the lower cover 12 to normally hold the two covers 11, 12 to a tightly closed position. When it is desired to use the portable basketball shooting practice device 10, simply open the zipper or release the fastener to pivotally turn the upper cover 11 from the lower cover 12 in a very convenient manner. Two corresponding handles 111, 121 are provided at a front side of the upper and the lower cover 11, 12, respectively, so that the portable basketball shooting practice device 10 in the folded state and received in the closed upper and lower covers 11, 12 may be conveniently carried by a user for use at different places.

A backboard 20 is connected to an inner side of the upper cover 11. The backboard 20 is provided at a central position with a pivotal connecting unit 21, to which a rim 22 is pivotally turnably connected. When the upper cover 11 is closed to the lower cover 12, the rim 22 is automatically turned upward or downward about the pivotal connecting unit 21 to be folded and flatly attached to the backboard 20. When the upper cover 11 is pivotally turned open from the lower cover 20, a user may pivotally turn the rim 22 to a position perpendicular to the backboard 20. A sensing element 211 is mounted on the pivotal connecting unit 21 to locate below the rim 22. When the sensing element 211 senses a basketball shot into and fallen from the rim 22, it controls a horn to produce a unique sound, or a light to emit special flashes, so as to give the shooting practice with more fun and pleasure.

A support skeleton 13 is connected at an innermost section to an inner side of the lower cover 12. The support skeleton 13 includes a plurality of sections serially connected to one other by link plates 131, so that the support skeleton 13 may be easily folded and unfolded at the link plates 131.

A net apron 14 is spread on and fixed to a top of the support skeleton 13 with two lateral sides of the net apron 14 extended upward to connect to two lateral edges of the backboard 20. When the upper and the lower cover 11, 12 are closed to each other, the completely folded support skeleton 13 and net apron 14 are received between the closed upper and lower covers 11, 12. And, when the upper and the lower cover 11, 12 are opened from each other, the multiple sections of the support skeleton 13 may be unfolded at the link plates 131 to fully extend the support skeleton 13, and the net apron 14 is brought to stretch outward and upward at the same time. The net apron 14 catches every basketball no matter the ball is accurately shot into the rim or not, preventing the ball from bouncing out of the net apron 14. Therefore, a user may continuously practice shooting without the need of taking efforts to pick up the basketball after each shooting.

A shooting distance between a user and the rim 22 is determined by an extent to which the support skeleton 13 is extended. When all the sections of the support skeleton 13 are unfolded, a long shooting distance is defined. And, when only some of the sections of the support skeleton 13 are unfolded, a somewhat shorter shooting distance may be defined. The user may adjust the shooting distance completely depending on personal need.

FIG. 3 a is a perspective view of the portable basketball shooting practice device 10 of the present invention in a fully extended state for use. And, FIGS. 3 b and 3 c show the manner of folding up the support skeleton 13. As shown, when the upper and the lower cover 11, 12 are fully opened from each other, the multiple sections of the support skeleton 13 may be unfolded at the link plates 131 to extend the support skeleton 13. At this point, the net apron 14 is automatically stretched outward and upward to prevent a shot basketball from bouncing out of the net apron 14. Therefore, the user may concentrate in practicing shooting without the need of picking up the basketball after each shooting. When the practice is finished, the user needs only to bend the support skeleton 13 at the link plates 131 to sequentially fold up the sections from outer to inner end, until the support skeleton 13 is completed folded and received in the lower cover 12. Then, the upper cover 11 is pivotally turned to close onto the lower cover 12 to easily complete the folding of the portable basketball shooting practice device 10.

A net 23 may be hung from the rim 22 to limit the falling direction of the basketball and accordingly prevent the basketball from bouncing away.

FIGS. 4 through 7 show the connection of the backboard 20 to the inner side of the upper cover 11. Since the backboard 20 has a certain weight, and the pivotal connecting unit 21 and the rim 22 are mounted to the center of the backboard 20, some aids are necessary for firmly holding the backboard 20 to the inner side of the upper cover 11 when the backboard 20 is continuously subjected to impact by the shot basketballs. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the inner side of the upper cover 11 is provided at two or all four corners with a locating unit 24 each. The locating unit 24 consists of a hook tape 241 and a loop tape 242. When the backboard 20 is tightly abutted against the inner side of the upper cover 11, the loop tapes 242 at the corners of the upper cover 11 are brought to tightly bond to the hook tapes 241 to firmly hold the corners of the back board 20 between the locating units 24 and the inner side of the upper cover 11, so that the backboard 20 is firmly held in place without the risk of easily separating from or moving relative to the upper cover 11.

When a user wants to use the portable basketball shooting practice device 10 in an outdoor barbecue zone, in a park, or in a room, simply closes the upper and the lower cover 11, 12 and carries the compact device 10 to the desired place. The whole device 10 may be extended or folded simply by unfolding or bending the support skeleton 13 at the link plates 131, respectively. The portable basketball shooting practice device 10 is suitable for both adults and children. For a tall user, the shooting practice device 10 may be positioned at a higher place for use. For a short user, the shooting practice device 10 may be positioned at a lower place for use. When it is desired to practice shooting at a short distance, the user may unfold only part of the sections of the support skeleton 13 to shorten the distance between the user and the rim 22. And, when it is desired to practice shooting at a long distance, the user may unfold all the sections to fully extend the support skeleton 13, so that a long distance is provided between the user and the rim 22. Therefore, the portable basketball shooting practice device of the present invention is very practical and convenient for use. 

1. A portable basketball shooting practice device, comprising: an upper cover; a lower cover being pivotally turnably connected at one side to said upper cover, and being openably closed to said upper cover via a closing member provided at a joint of said upper and said lower cover; a backboard being fixed to an inner side of said upper cover, and being provided at a central position with a pivotal connecting unit, to which a rim is pivotally turnably connected; a support skeleton consisting of a plurality of sections, which are serially connected via link plates to enable folding or extending of said support skeleton at said link plates, and at least an innermost one of said sections being fixedly connected to an inner side of said lower cover; and a net apron being spread on and fixed to a top of said support skeleton with two upward extended lateral sides fixed to two lateral edges of said backboard.
 2. The portable basketball shooting practice device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said upper cover is provided at one side with a handle.
 3. The portable basketball shooting practice device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said upper cover is provided on the inner side at corners with a locating unit each.
 4. The portable basketball shooting practice device as claimed in claim 3, wherein said locating unit consists of a hook tape and a loop tape.
 5. The portable basketball shooting practice device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said lower cover is provided at one side with a handle.
 6. The portable basketball shooting practice device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said closing member is a zipper.
 7. The portable basketball shooting practice device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said closing member is a fastener.
 8. The portable basketball shooting practice device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a net hung from said rim.
 9. The portable basketball shooting practice device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a sensing element mounted on said pivotal connecting unit to locate below said rim. 